I would love to see the council do the right thing and go back and take the censurship off Chaplain Paul Northcut. Then, I would love to see them apologize to him and then realize he had the city’s interest at heart. Paul is a great man for the people. God Bless Paul.

Joel Dixon

Pottsville

Arkansas Tech University

As a concerned alumnus of Arkansas Tech University, I feel obligated to write in an effort to express my disdain with the leadership at Arkansas Tech University. For many years Robert Brown has run ATU with a totalitarian hand. I believe I can best illustrate this by offering a number of examples.

Brown’s treatment of staff, especially non-teaching staff, as second-class citizens is nearly legendary in Russellville. If you do not march to the beat of his drum you are likely to be demoted, run off or outright fired.

The firing of Herman Luebker, former director of the physical plant, when he openly spoke out after Brown directed a group of international students to be housed in a warehouse Mr. Luebker felt was unsafe. It sure would have been easy to push international students to a building that was out sight and out of mind. After all, would they cry foul or an even better question — would the donations to ATU be hurt if they did?

The unannounced closing of Russellville’s only indoor swimming pool. This pool was used by senior citizens for exercise, local swim teams for practice and others in the community that wanted such recreation. Sure, the university hid behind the Americans with Disabilities Act when explaining its actions, but I bet if a pet project of Brown’s needed money it would be found.

The latest shoe to fall is the theater department. Once again, a program that Brown is not a champion of is threatened and ATU makes excuses. What about Witherspoon or the auditorium in the Doc Bryan building? Are those not satisfactory? Or is this just one more in a long line of excuses.

In closing, ATU will not see a penny from me as long as Robert Brown is associated with the university. I will continue to dutifully write my check to UALR, where I received my graduate degree, and Arkansas Children’s Hospital, but sadly not to the school that taught me so much.